Friday, November 7, 2008

Meditation Three—the language of what we “tell” our SELF

Meditation Three is a special practice done for 10-20 minutes at dawn. It is a meditation using a silent “mantra”…What is a mantra?

In the West we unknowingly already use mantras like “I’m such a loser”, “I hate it when that happens” or “no pain, no gain”. We each have our own special brand of reinforcing language that can lock us into patterns of depreciation, or worse apathy.

Using a mantra in meditation can help instill positive feelings that, when used with our breath, become more believable to us and subsequently have a positive effect on our lives, as well as others.

Mantras used in meditation can be more believable because in a relaxed thought process, we can loosen the ego argument with our higher self. The “higher self “is the part of us that knows we can think and act more mindfully than we normally do, the ego is the part of us that rationalizes and justifies.

Also, yoga mantras take us “outside the box”, because the words are somewhat unfamiliar, which makes it easier to not associate the mantra with anything we already know.

So for our dawn meditation we get to sit and follow our breath as we inhale and exhale two words: “Sat” as you inhale and “Nam” as you exhale.

“Sat” means “Truth”, and “Nam” means “name” or “me”. Together, with your inhale and exhale these words make up the mantra that we would interpret as “I am my true self”, “ I am my true identity”, “All Truth is ME”.

If you are participating in this incredible Global Meditation you will get an e-mail on Monday with more details about this mantra. If you would like to join our global group email: syl@whitemountainyoga.com.

Using this meditation as a group will connect us together to the collective Better Angels of our Nature. In participating, we send the light of our “true self mediation” across the landscape of the world, and we hold the space for everyone “under the sun”, as the day dawns, to also feel a sense of their “true self” or higher purpose. And in doing so, bring their actions into a healthy integrity.

We will practice together, from where ever we are, each morning at dawn, beginning November 11th, through Thanksgiving Morning in the U.S, November 27th. This day of Gratitude is really needed at this time. Coming into “your truth” will bring on a wave of gratitude. Each morning sit with it, or journal it, or write your comments at the end of this blog entry.

Personally, I also think of Thanksgiving as a family holiday. I am a 10th generation granddaughter of William Bradford, who came to America on the Mayflower. As many of you know, they arrived at Cape Cod the morning of November 11th 1620, and he was the second governor of the Plymouth Colony.

My “10-greats” Grandfather presided (with Indian Chief of the Wampanoag) over the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. I have read from the original manuscript his personal history (written in 1620 old-style Kings English), and while many of the words, and rhythms were difficult for me to read, he spoke of two men coming to his door in England, with the message of religious freedom, and an underground movement, that would lead them (in his words) as Moses from Egypt.

I quote in his own words, (and spelling): “God’s blessing on their labours, as in other places of ye land, so in ye North parts, many became inlightened by ye word, and had their own ignorance discovered unto them, and begane, by His grace to reforme their lives and make conscience to their ways…”

I am honored over 388 years later to be a part of another group effort to do the same…”Like (10-Greats) Grandfather, like grand-daughter” I guess.

4 comments:

This meditation has been a unique experience. The first morning as I said the mantra, I could see Christ standing in front of me with his arms open. I then cradled my right hand in my left and grandchildren starting sitting in my lap. It was wonderful, beautiful and peaceful.The next morning was a completely different experience. It became uncomfortable and my mind kept wandering. Then the following 3 mornings I wasn't uncomfortable, but I couldn't stay on track. Then this morning I realized my mind was like a recording being played backward, at a high rate of speed, with random thoughts. It seemed like it was trying to replay and filter. It reminded me of our computer virus scan. I wonder...

To get a male perspective, I asked my husband what his experience was this morning. He started by thinking of all his blessings. Then his mind went to the universe and stars and wondering how things work "out there". His mind then came back to blessings and how we hold our palms up on our knees when we meditate, as if to catch all the blessings that pour down on us. That reminded him of how they used to hang horseshoes ("U") to catch blessings and decided he wants to find some and start nailing them up all over.

My experience with the Mantra Meditation has been evolving. I wanted to wait on commenting until I felt it was time...Today I got my answer:

As I worked the "Sat Nam", The image that came wast the archetypal Christ imagery of walking toward me on the water. I heard the words: "be still and know that I AM", almost immediately I got the words: "Tat Tvam Asi" (one of the four great sayings of the Yoga Upanishads). It means: "Thou art THAT" referring to the oneness of all things in God.

As I heard the words again: "Be Still and Know THAT I AM". It took on a whole new context: Know...That...I AM, meaning the great I AM or God, as though Christ was saying to me: "know ME in YOU". It was quite the experience!

I not only had a Yoga, or yoking of two separate dogmas, but that we are all Sat Nam in each other as well.

In these turbulent times the energy of: "Be still and know that I am IN YOU" is incredibly empowering in creating the "Eden" in my heart on earth.

Click-on Enlightenment

About Me

I was born under an angry sky, but blessed with the ability to fly anyway.
My first love, is my son Tom, my second is my own business, a work in delightful progress!
My first word was LIGHT, it was easy to say because it felt like a recognition.
I took my first real breath, just recently.